Show and Tell

Well, this has been quite a year. Many of you know that I teach art to children. I work at a little private school and in the summertime I teach/share here in  my studio. And I usually teach a summer session to older children at the school. I wish I could share photographs of the students and their activities. But, that is not possible because of privacy issues.
It is a wonderful experience for me to be able to have a chance to inspire these children to try new things that may spark something inside that will stay with them for their lifetime. I find that curiosity is one ingredient that makes me want to learn new things. I hope the children become so curious about everything that is natural to ask questions of what they see in life and try to find the answers. Problem solving in a creative way is one tool I try to teach. Also, that when you turn something upside down or look at it as if you were flying above, or put unrelated objects together, that increases your ability to see the subject in a new or different way, that maybe you will find the answers. The world we inhabit is full of wonder, in it is every answer.
I moved here to try to make a difference. I hope I do and will.

I take care of my mother who is getting up there in the years. With her it is a good thing to keep her mind active and busy. She was a quilt maker in her younger years. She makes baskets now because they are something that she can handle as far as size and difficulty are concerned. She always gives me a surprise when I see what she comes up with. I like her sense of color. She has a dedication to work and she always has. I like that about her, too.
Fortunately, I have both ends of the spectrum, time-wise, the freshness of  the children's innocent wonder and the experience of a long life lived well to inspire me in my own work. I try to share what I do these days.
I have an older digital camera without the bells and whistles which affects the ability to make my photo's into "art", but that is OK, too. It is a challenge to try to do the best I can with what I have. Maybe, for now, it is even another blessing.
Time is the biggest issue in my life. I never have enough. Some things that I try to accomplish get short changed once in a while. But, that is OK, too. Blogging is one of those things. I love blogging because I have met so many wonderful people from all over the world. I keep up with what is going on in the art world through this, as well.
I have been a city girl all of my life until I moved here. It is a wonderful life, either way.
So, without further ado, I will share a bit with you in photographs, now.

I collect textiles from all over the world
and from all time
This is a carpet made in Nepal
by Tibetan refugees
I have had this and many more carpets for quite a long time.
I love the craftsmanship of the knots.
I love the colors they chose to dye their wool
These are completely made by hand.
Two of my mother's baskets sit upon this carpet.

Here you see a selection of her baskets.
We use them for storing fiber related projects.
How lucky am I?

A pillow I made using batiks as fringe around the edges.
Two of Mom's baskets, also.

A lot of  times I hand stitch just because I love to do it.

I love Michael James striped fabric and I buy it whenever I find it.
It is amazing what he has done as the "Father of American Art Quilting"
I am not a quilter.
I tinker with quilting fabric just for fun.
You can see here the batik scraps fringe around the pillow.

I knit with the batik scraps and here I use it as a finish
for the upholstery of this antique chair

This is a porcelain bowl with hand painted
under glaze then a matte glaze over that
In a previous life
 I was represented by
 several galleries around the country.
I have turned to fiber arts, now.

Another corner of my studio.

This is it for now.
Have a super Saturday!
And Thanks a bunch for stopping by!
hugs!